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Iphone Apple

Apple Announces iPhone 15 with USB-C (theverge.com) 191

Posted by msmash from the moving-forward dept.
Apple has just announced the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, and the big news is a USB-C port. From a report: We've been waiting for the day that the iPhone would switch to the widely used USB-C standard instead of Apple's proprietary Lightning connector. Apple confirmed last year that it would make the change to USB-C to comply with the European Union's upcoming regulations, and the iPhone 15 is now the first iPhone to make the switch. The iPhone 15 is priced starting at $799 for a 128GB model and the iPhone 15 Plus starts at $899 for a 128GB version.

USB-C is good news, but if you were hoping for a totally new iPhone 15 design, well, that's not happening this year. This year's iPhone looks largely the same as the iPhone 14 before it, with the iPhone 15 continuing to use a 6.1-inch display. All models of the iPhone 15 will come with the Dynamic Island. That's the pill-shaped cutout that first debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, providing a new way to see certain notifications and interact with apps. The iPhone 15 also has an OLED Super Retina display, which supports Dolby Vision content with 1,600 nits of brightness. The peak brightness of this display is 2,000 nits in sunlight, double that of the iPhone 14.
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Apple Announces iPhone 15 with USB-C More

Apple Announces iPhone 15 with USB-C

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  • What about glare? (Score:3)

    by RogueWarrior65 ( 678876 ) on Tuesday September 12, 2023 @01:08PM (#63842200)

    2000 nits in bright sunlight is great but glare and reflections on the screen tend to negate brightness. Or am I missing something?

    • Comment removed (Score:4, Interesting)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday September 12, 2023 @01:15PM (#63842222)
      Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • My Pixel does the same thing. It's frustrating when I do my walks and my phone overheats and turns off my data 5 minutes into my walk.

    • Enough brightness can usually overcome overcome that. 2000 nits is very bright for such a small screen, the issue becomes one more of contrast which again, enough brightness can overcome.

      When installing digital signage behind shop windows there is a huge difference between a wall operating at 800-1500 nits and the "full sinlight" walls that hit 3-6000 nits.

    • I'd pay extra for an iPhone that had a non-glossy screen.

    • 2000 nits in bright sunlight is great but glare and reflections on the screen tend to negate brightness. Or am I missing something?

      Well you are holding it wrong. No, really, seriously, you are. :-)

  • USB-C is great, but (Score:5, Insightful)

    by JaredOfEuropa ( 526365 ) on Tuesday September 12, 2023 @01:11PM (#63842210) Journal
    Where is the fingerprint scanner?

    For the rest it seems they improved the camera a bit, messed with the materials a little, and the internal tech moved forward. Not really a compelling upgrade even from a much older iPhone.

    • Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday September 12, 2023 @01:21PM (#63842242)
      Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Toilet? My old nokia got taken out by a rogue wave on the beach (probably from a speedboat) along with half our clothes and lunch. Not the best ever day out.

      • eu cell phone battery rules will be the next big change for phones.

        • Re: (Score:2, Troll)

          by cayenne8 ( 626475 )

          eu cell phone battery rules will be the next big change for phones.

          Fuck that.

          If EU wants a special version, let them have it.

          I don't want to bulk the phone up to the extent it would take to have a new removable battery....

          Also, wouldn't that kinda kill the waterproof/resistance we've all come to enjoy with modern phones?

          • There were waterproof phones before batteries became non removable. Galaxy S5 was an example.
            Also, the extra bulk is marginal.

            Fuck that.

              If EU wants a special version, let them have it.

            Just like USB-C, Apple is likely to release the same model world-wide.
            Thank you EU.

            • Re: (Score:2, Flamebait)

              by cayenne8 ( 626475 )
              I don't see that this USB-C cable change will do ANYTHING of value for me...except force me to go buy new freaking cables.....

              What a PITA.

              • Re: (Score:3)

                by narcc ( 412956 )

                You were going to be forced to replace Apple's self-destructing cables soon anyway. You'll get over it.

            • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

              by porkchop_d_clown ( 39923 )
              The people who claim the EU forced Apple to do this seem to be deliberately ignoring the fact that Apple has been migrating to USB-C for a few years now - and that Apple still sells gear that uses the Lightning connector even now...

              • Re: (Score:3)

                by torkus ( 1133985 )

                The EU *did* force them and they migrate ports when it benefits their accessory sales most.

                Your claim that Apple has been migrating to USB is silly given they just swapped their MBP back to magsafe (but, of course, a different magsafe to ensure no backwards compatibility)

          • My Galaxy Note 2 from 2012 with a removable battery was a colossal 2mm thicker than the current iPhone and weighed about 30g more. The horror!

            • My Kyocera HydroVIBE [phonearena.com] from 2015 had an IP57 rating (dust and 30min/3m under water) and had a removable battery *and* headphone jack. The entire back of the phone had a gasket underneath and popped off revealing the battery, SIM and and microSD.

              • Comment removed based on user account deletion

                • instead of going to the Apple Store every 24 to 36 months.

                  Wow...your batteries only last 2-3 years??

                  I've never had to get an iPhone batter replaced...

                  My last upgrade was from an iPhone 6S Plus to 12 Max Pro.

                  The batter one the 6S Plus was just then trying to go south...that's what like 6 years on first battery?

                • Pixel has the same integrated battery but seems to attract a lot less grief than iPhone, because, reasons?

                  I now have a Pixel 5a and would prefer it had a (easily) user-replaceable battery -- and longer support from Google, like Apple does.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Xenx ( 2211586 )

            If EU wants a special version, let them have it.

            The problem there is that it comes down to cost. It would cost more to offer two different hardware designs. Unless it's going to significantly hamper sales outside of the EU, they'll bring the changes to the rest of the world.

            I don't want to bulk the phone up to the extent it would take to have a new removable battery....

            I feel the same way. The amount of extra bulk will vary, but it shouldn't be exceptionally bad for the average phone. It'll hit folding phones, however. This is especially true due to the ease of access requirements.

            Also, wouldn't that kinda kill the waterproof/resistance we've all come to enjoy with modern phones?

            Retaining waterproof status is a requirement of the regulation. It's

            • Yeah...gaskets never fail or anything.

              • Re: (Score:2)

                by Xenx ( 2211586 )
                Well, I mean, they're already using gaskets. The only challenge here is that the person replacing the battery would be responsible for checking the gasket.

            • The problem there is that it comes down to cost. It would cost more to offer two different hardware designs. Unless it's going to significantly hamper sales outside of the EU, they'll bring the changes to the rest of the world.

              Which, by the way, Apple has already done at least twice now:
              - Every iPhone sold around the globe since the iPhone 8 supports the NFC frequencies and auth scheme used in Japan for contactless payments (Suica / Pasmo), where basically every android phone sold that supports the same MUST be purchased in Japan. Some Android phones may have hardware support, but you have to root the phone and hack some config files to get it to work, opening yourself up to all the other hassles that come with rooting your phon

            • I feel the same way. The amount of extra bulk will vary, but it shouldn't be exceptionally bad for the average phone. It'll hit folding phones, however. This is especially true due to the ease of access requirements.

              It'll bulk up the cases too...

              I buy cases that have special housing around the lenses, so I can quick connect anamorphic lenses to it.....guessing having a battery with increased sizing for that could bork up a good set up I have now.

          • Also, wouldn't that kinda kill the waterproof/resistance we've all come to enjoy with modern phones?

            Not necessarily. Waterproof battery-less phone + waterproof battery module + waterproof connector between phone and battery module = still water resistant phone.

            It would just be thicker to accommodate the additional battery casing, latch, and connector.

          • Also, wouldn't that kinda kill the waterproof/resistance we've all come to enjoy with modern phones?

            I must be the odd one out because in my 4ish decades of existing on this planet I've killed exactly 0 cell phones to water damage. Maybe I just don't do enough sporting/outdoor activities where the phone is likely to end up in the drink. *shrug*

            As for the battery though, I'd love to be able to carry spares and swap 'em rather than being tethered to a power bank.

      • Yeah, I dunno about that.

        My iPhone 5 was destroyed by rain.

        My iPhone 6 plus was destroyed by rain.

        My iPhone XS Max was destroyed by Dr. Pepper.

        Can't wait to see how my iPhone 14 Pro Max dies....but I have a prediction.

      • I would argue that nobody (Apple, Google, Samsung, and friends) has had a compelling hardware upgrade since water resistance went mainstream.

        One big reason I'm upgrading is for the satellite SOS/road assistance feature. My current model phone does not support that.

        It's not a feature everyone will need, but if you ever visit national parks or very remote locations, it can be of great help... it's surprising how many people not even in that remote areas have made use of it, some area are still just dead to

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        There are less oblivious advances that made a big difference. 240Hz touch input greatly improved accuracy, especially for swipe typing. Sensor fusion got a lot better which improved navigation.

        The Pixel 8 sounds like it's going to be a big step forward for night photography and video.

        They have a new Sony sensor that captures multiple exposures simultaneously, rather than separately like all current phones do.

        For the first time night sight video is possible, and night photos should be greatly improved too.

    • The fingerprint scanner is probably under the screen. Some android phones have been doing it that way - you just touch a certain point on the screen.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by otuz ( 85014 )

        The last iPhone design that had a fingerprint reader was the iPhone 7, if 8 and the SE models don't count. iPhone X that was released alongside the legacy form iPhone 8 replaced the fingerprint reader with a face scanner called FaceID. The only models you could get TouchID (fingerprint readers) on were iPads and iPhone SE models that still use the iPhone 7/8 design.

    • Where is the fingerprint scanner?

      on the iPhone models previous to the X, where it's always been.

      If they ever bring back fingerprint auth after dumping so much time and treasure into FaceID, I'll be surprised.

    • Minis are no longer sold by Apple. RIP, Minis. Only the cheaper and older SE (old hardwares), with its fingerprint scanner, is left. :(

  • USB-C port speed (Score:3)

    by Amnenth ( 698898 ) on Tuesday September 12, 2023 @01:13PM (#63842216)

    Since USB 3 transfer speed is a highlight feature of the Pro models this year, I reckon that the standard models still only expose USB 2 over the USB-C connector.

    • I feel it would make sense for Apple to go USB 3 across the board. It would bring down the price of the chips and if anything Thunderbolt would be a Pro feature, though I am not sure that makes sense beyond an iPad?

      • I feel like Apple has been unconcerned about USB transfer speeds since they ideally want people doing all their data syncs via iCloud than with a wire.

        The long term goal for Apple I imagine is a phone with no ports whatsoever.

        • Yup, and at which point their magsafe charger will mysteriously double in price.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Xenx ( 2211586 )
            Apple failed with locking manufacturers to magsafe, so they released it to the Qi Consortium. It's part of Qi2, while Apple is touting the iPhone 15 as the first phone to support it.

        • Also, have you ever actually tried to sync an iPhone to iTunes? It's still a game of "plug in your phone and cross your fingers that it actually does what you're intending."

          Sometimes it will do things like randomly delete all your music from the phone, because fuck you, you're supposed to have an Apple Music subscription.

          And trying to download your photos and videos from the phone still just randomly errors out under Windows if you have a lot of content in your photo library. I don't think Apple is ever g

          • I haven't tried or had to use iTunes since I owned an iPad2 so years and years but goddamn it was labyrinthine then, even just to upload some movies so I oculd watch on the plane. Not surprised to hear it has not changed much.

          • iTunes has always been a reason to avoid iPods and iPhones.

            • SoundJam MP was pretty damn good until Apple bought it and renamed it to iTunes. Even then it was still really good - it even had a plugin architecture so that anybody could write a plugin for it to transfer music to a portable device. Diamond Multimedia shipped it with the Rio 500 with a plugin for Mac back in the day.

              Apple bought it, renamed it, and then started ruining it; they eventually tore out the plugin API and locked it down to only iPod (and later iPhone / iPad), and added their store frontend.

            • iTunes has always been a reason to avoid iPods and iPhones.

              Hmm...I didn't realize the computers still had iTunes on them???

              Hell, I've not plugged my iPhone or iPad into my computer in decades at least....haven't had a need to, except maybe once when I was trying to get some video I shot with Filmic Pro off the iPhone and onto my computer to edit....

        • I feel like Apple has been unconcerned about USB transfer speeds since they ideally want people doing all their data syncs via iCloud than with a wire..

          What do you use your smartphone for that males it impossible to use an iPhone because it is so slow a speed in transferring whatever it is you have to do?

        • Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by teg ( 97890 )

        I feel it would make sense for Apple to go USB 3 across the board. It would bring down the price of the chips and if anything Thunderbolt would be a Pro feature, though I am not sure that makes sense beyond an iPad?

        It might happen later. As of now, they're using last year's top of the line chip in the normal iphone - and it had USB 2. Their newest chip has USB 3, so it might show up in the non-pro range next year. But does anyone care about wired transfer speed anymore?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by inicom ( 81356 )

      seems like despite 3 support in pro and pro max, the bundled cable is only going to be 2.0

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by teg ( 97890 )

      Since USB 3 transfer speed is a highlight feature of the Pro models this year, I reckon that the standard models still only expose USB 2 over the USB-C connector.

      The use case for USB transfer is pretty limited these days - outside of Carplay, I don't think my phone has ever transferred any data over cable for the three years I've had it. Sure, the case of attached storage for video shoots - as shown in the presentation - might be interesting for an extremely limited subset of users, but beyond that - probably not. I'm more interested in charging speeds, and I'm glad I can cut down on the cables I bring along.

      • The use case for USB transfer is pretty limited these days - outside of Carplay, I don't think my phone has ever transferred any data over cable for the three years I've had it. Sure, the case of attached storage for video shoots - as shown in the presentation - might be interesting for an extremely limited subset of users, but beyond that - probably not. I'm more interested in charging speeds, and I'm glad I can cut down on the cables I bring along.

        I'm in the same boat as you...although I've not dealt wit

    • Since USB 3 transfer speed is a highlight feature of the Pro models this year, I reckon that the standard models still only expose USB 2 over the USB-C connector.

      Who actually cares about USB3 transfer speed on a cell phone? What are they using their phones for that makes it so important?

      NOt trying ot be an ass or anything, but if I need speed, I'm not going to use a smartphone.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        Video. Big files with ProRes. Decent quality for many uses, like video blogging and sub professional YouTube.

        Over USB 2 it takes in excess of an hour per 100GB of data to transfer. It's fine for occasional use, but annoying if you do it regularly.

        • Video. Big files with ProRes. Decent quality for many uses, like video blogging and sub professional YouTube.

          Over USB 2 it takes in excess of an hour per 100GB of data to transfer. It's fine for occasional use, but annoying if you do it regularly.

          If I was for some reason I was using an iPhone to make vids, , I would probably use Airdrop and a 6 or 6e router Might get that 100 Gbytes in as little as ten seconds though likely a little longer.

      • Well, as stated in the product demo, a pro photographer can use their iPhone Pro to take composition shots - perhaps hundreds of them - with their phone, and then very quickly transfer them to a laptop via a $6 USB-C cable. Then they can take their time figuring out which shots they want to take with all their real photography gear when they do the real photo shoot. Same concept with video, except video is even more information to try to transfer over sometimes non-existent wireless networking.

        As it turns

        • Well, as stated in the product demo, a pro photographer can use their iPhone Pro to take composition shots - perhaps hundreds of them - with their phone, and then very quickly transfer them to a laptop via a $6 USB-C cable. Then they can take their time figuring out which shots they want to take with all their real photography gear when they do the real photo shoot. Same concept with video, except video is even more information to try to transfer over sometimes non-existent wireless networking.

          As it turns out, your use case is not the singular one in existence.

          As I've noted to another poster, if speed of transfer from their iPhone to another machine is critical, you don't want to use USBC- You are better off by quite a bit to use AirDrop, and an WiFi i6 or 6e. A lot faster.But I come to an impasse of my own making. I don't care about doing video on an iPhone or an Android. I'm just 100 percent wrong.

          So anyhow - I give up, Android and a cheap cable it the way to go.

    • Since USB 3 transfer speed is a highlight feature of the Pro models this year, I reckon that the standard models still only expose USB 2 over the USB-C connector.

      Apple has USB 3.0 adapters for Lightning ports but they don't get the full speed that USB 3.0 is capable of getting, at least that's my experience. Lightning has it's own data limits and could easily be the weak link in that chain. By removing support for the old Lightning port there's no need to be limited to some fraction of the full USB 3.0, or USB4, speeds. The slower "non-Pro" models likely still have Lighting parts on the inside slowing things down, a holdover from reusing parts from previous Light

  • Embrace and extend, baby!

  • Ho wait not: EU regulation! (thanks for it).

  • What a tragedy (Score:3, Insightful)

    by GeekWithAKnife ( 2717871 ) on Tuesday September 12, 2023 @02:06PM (#63842396)
    Millions of Iphone users will roam offices everywhere no longer at a loss of finding a charger. (The fruit themed company will need to come up with a new way to make sure only an iThing charger can be used. Like reducing charge rates if it's not an iThing USB-C.)

    • Nah, we just replaced the people looking for USB-C cables with the people who have the older models searching for Lightning cables.

      The chargers were *never* the problem - it was always just the cable. All Apple iPhone/iPad chargers have been USB since... forever?

      • The chargers were *never* the problem - it was always just the cable. All Apple iPhone/iPad chargers have been USB since... forever?

        Apple had FireWire for charging their iProducts if we look back 20 or so years. A quick look at Wikipedia seems to back up my recollection, it was 2003 when the Dock connector replaced FireWire on iPods. People could still use their FireWire chargers for early Dock connector iPods, and perhaps early iPhones, by using a FireWire to Dock cable. At some point iProducts stopped supporting FireWire charging even though the cable would physically fit, the iProducts lacked the voltage conversion or something to

  • They have walked back their crazy pricing from years past to something somewhat more palatable. That may be the bigger takeaway for me. Seems like there was some analysis on consumer behavior for the last few models and they pulled back on 1500$ phones.

  • Sad to see Lightning go, but inevitable (Score:3)

    by SuperKendall ( 25149 ) on Tuesday September 12, 2023 @02:54PM (#63842546)

    I know many are cheering the move to USB-C, but I will still miss lighting - to me it was a less flimsy connector that does not break as often.

    It will make life easier for many people though, and at least the connector is reversible so on balance it's probably a good thing they are switching over wholesale.

    One thing I wonder about for the somewhat distant future though is, how will we ever move to a new connector if someone in the industry develops a better connector? Since the move to USB-C was in large part pushed by the EU, what is the process (if any) of proposing technological upgrades to government mandated standards?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by lexios ( 1684614 )

      One thing I wonder about for the somewhat distant future though is, how will we ever move to a new connector if someone in the industry develops a better connector? Since the move to USB-C was in large part pushed by the EU, what is the process (if any) of proposing technological upgrades to government mandated standards?

      I read this text:

      Regular updates: the Commission will be empowered to adopt delegated acts amending the list and the technical specifications in light of scientific and technological progr

    • As we already have stuff doing 40Gbps over USB-C (USB-4, Thunderbolt 4) and delivering over 100W (USB-PD) I am having a hard time trying to figure out why the connector on a phone would need to change for quite some time. And, if there's a reason to change it, I'm sure the industry can use the ISO standards org to settle on a new physical design that everyone can stack hands and be happy with, and then petition the EU to update their shit. Kind of like how USB-C became the standard that everything uses to

    • I know many are cheering the move to USB-C, but I will still miss lighting - to me it was a less flimsy connector that does not break as often.

      It will make life easier for many people though, and at least the connector is reversible so on balance it's probably a good thing they are switching over wholesale.

      One thing I wonder about for the somewhat distant future though is, how will we ever move to a new connector if someone in the industry develops a better connector? Since the move to USB-C was in large part pushed by the EU, what is the process (if any) of proposing technological upgrades to government mandated standards?

      The mandate mandates (redundancy intended) that every ten years, it gets reviewed. Is some industry group develops a better connector than USB-C, in 10 years or so, they can pitch it.

      But since even TB5 (which in the future will be the basis of USB6) still uses the USB-C connector, and can do 80/80 and 120/40 Gbps transfers and 240W PD, I think we can go 20 more years with USB-C.

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